In many operations involving the manufacture of pneumatic tires, following fabrication and vulcanization, a tire is placed on a chuck assembly so that various inspection and grinding operations can be performed. Generally, for example, in a tire uniformity machine, tires are advanced along a conveyor into the uniformity machine whereupon a first chuck is raised to engage a lower bead of the tire following which the tire is elevated so that an upper bead is engaged by a second chuck. The tire is then inflated and various inspections are conducted. The tire is then deflated, the first chuck is retracted, the tire is removed from the second chuck and then removed from the machine so that another tire may be tested.
In such a system and in other areas where tires are mounted on chucks for further manufacturing, inspection, or grinding operations, it is desirable to lubricate the upper and lower beads along their sealing surface so as to achieve a complete airtight seal with the mating surfaces of the chuck or, for that matter, the wheel of an automobile.
One existing lubricating system provides a vertically-oriented roller, sometimes referred to as an applicator, that is mounted beneath a conveyor and housed in a container used to contain overspray or runoff of excess lubricant. As a tire moves into a position above the roller, the roller is extended upward along its axis to enter a bore defined by the tire. At the same time, a pop-up roller table raises the tire from the conveyor. The tire is both driven on the roller table, causing it to contact the roller, and rotated about the roller which applies lubricant to the beads by a set of pop-up spinner rolls. Since contact between the roller and the beads relies on the pop-up spinner rolls driving the tire into contact with the applicator, the roller is stressed by the impact with the tire. Oftentimes, the tire will impact the roller multiple times until achieving the proper position. Accordingly, some systems provide for an applicator assembly having plural applicators movable along the vertical axis to enter the bore of the tire and extensible in a radial direction to contact the beads of the tire and apply a lubricant thereto.
In another known lubricating system; however, it is common to employ a cloth sleeve or “sock” to cover the roller and absorb the lubricating fluid prior to application to the tire bead. In particular, most systems employ a nylon cylindrical roller with the cloth sleeve. Lubricating oil is sprayed on to or otherwise applied to the sleeve prior to each application to the tire bead. The cylindrical roller is then forced into engagement with the bead and then rotated to coat the bead surface. Over time, the tire beads engage the sleeve at a same location and the sleeve tears and no longer adequately applies lubricating material. As such, the sleeve needs to be replaced resulting in downtime of the machine. Skilled artisans will also appreciate that use of a cloth sleeve is problematic as the cloth fibers become loose and get into the hydraulic fluid valves and fluid lines, further causing problems for operation of the tire uniformity machine and other nearby equipment. Therefore, there is a need in the art to use an applicator without a cloth sleeve and which lasts longer and minimizes the need for machine maintenance.